


Hjerterum

by littlemovie (Lejla)



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Boy Squad, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Kinda, M/M, One Shot, all aboard the fluff train, boys supporting boys, roommate au, taking care of each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 05:25:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10269218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lejla/pseuds/littlemovie
Summary: Isak cleared his throat.“Hi,” he tried again looking at who, he gathered, was the ever-elusive third roommate. Even walked to the fridge, keeping his eyes glued to his feet. He took two cans of coke from his shelve and a bag of chips from the counter before making his way down to the basement again, shutting the door behind him.Isak huffed out a breath.“Well, that’s rude,” he mumbled to himself, going back to his sandwich and picking the knife up from the counter. He grabbed a coke from his own shelve in the fridge and made his way to his bedroom, closing the door behind him.OrIsak and Even are roommates and it's not going well.





	

”… and this would be your room,” Mikael said, gesturing with his hand at the rather large space before him. Isak took a step inside, looking at the bed on the right side of the room to the oak desk just under the window. There was even a good-sized wardrobe to the left of the desk and right across the room where the bed was.

“So what do you think? Do you want it?” Mikael asked when Isak spun around to face him once again, an inquiring look in his eyes. 

A smile began to spread across Isak’s face, his head nodding in agreement before he had even said a word. 

“Yeah, yeah, this looks great. But what about your other roommates?” Isak asked suddenly nervous again, his right hand scratching at his curls under his snapback. 

Mikael gave an amused chuckle walking back towards the kitchen, Isak following him. “Don’t worry about them. Anders is hardly here as it is. He has a girlfriend, who lives an hour from here, so he’s always at her place, and when Even isn’t in his room, he’s at work. And besides, I already talked to them this morning, and they were fine as long it wasn’t some weirdo. Are you a weirdo, Isak” Here Mikael paused, his eyes going wide while he waited for Isak to answer.

Isak stammered, “No?” He did not mean it to come out as a question, but here they were.

Isak met Mikael’s amused eyes, his own smile returning as well. 

“Good,” Mikael nodded, handing Isak a bunch of official looking papers. “As I’ve said before, the rent is 4000 including utilities. We all have a shelve with our names on it in the fridge and in the cupboards, so if you leave food out and it doesn’t have a name on it then it’s fair game for everyone.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Your room would be the one down the hall, which I’ve showed you, and me and Anders have rooms on the first floor. And this,” he gestured to the door on the right side of the kitchen, “leads to the basement, which is also Even’s room. Any questions?” 

Isak’s eyes swept over the kitchen one more time, taking in the mismatched cups by the sink, the old, yellow electric kettle and the cozy atmosphere of the room, his eyes finally settling on the boy standing in front of him. “When can I move in?”

 

*

 

When Eskild had first told him that both him and Linn were planning on moving from their apartment of several years, Isak had panicked. He had just finished high school and was starting at the University of Oslo, but because he had an apartment, he had not looked for student housing and now it was too late.

Eskild had taken one look at Isak’s scared little face, rolled his eyes and called his friend from Uni. An hour and a half hour later, Eskild had secured him a meeting with said friend and two weeks later, Isak was moving into a new room in a house with three new roommates. He could not believe his luck sometimes.

“You’re such a lucky shit, man,” Magnus grunted, heaving the second to last box into the room and gracelessly dropping it on the floor. “This place is huge!” 

He spread both his arms out from his body to indicate the size of the room, his eyes wide in wonder. “You know what this means, right?” He looked at Mahdi first, then Jonas and finally Isak. “Parties, man! Loads of parties. This is gonna rock.” He fist bumped the air. 

Isak rolled his eyes, but could not stop a smile from spreading across his lips. He shook his head in fond amusement, ushering the boys into the kitchen where the pizza was waiting; a thank you present to the boys for helping him move. 

“So how are the roommates?” Jonas asked, taking a slice of the pizza and leaning against the kitchen counter. Magnus and Mahdi had already taken a slice each and migrated to the table in the corner. 

Isak took his own slice, biting into the cheesy goodness and swallowing before answering Jonas.

“Mikael is great, and I’ve met Anders briefly and he seemed like a nice guy,” Isak shrugged his shoulders, taking another bite of his pizza.

“And the last one? You haven’t met him yet?” Jonas added.

Isak shook his head. “Even? No, not yet. But Mikael said he keeps odd hours so…” 

Jonas nodded and opened his Fanta, taking a sip.

“Hey! I have a great idea,” Magnus suddenly shouted, scaring Mahdi into nearly dropping his slice of pizza on his face. Isak chuckled.

“How ‘bout we hook Isak’s TV up and play fifa? The loser has to carry the last box from the car.” 

Jonas snorted, giving Magnus a haughty look, his face tipped slightly back. “Prepare to lose, Mags.”

 

*

 

Group chat: The Boyz

Isak: thanks again for the help, guys. 

Isak: Jonas, you’ve forgotten your yellow beanie. So it’s mine now. Thx!

Jonas: So that’s where it went! Awesome. And no you’re not, thief.

Isak: :(

Mahdi: all good. As thanks, we want an invite to the next party at yours ;)

Magnus: YES! PARTY, PARTY, PARTY!! 

Isak: sure, but loser’s brining beer.

Magnus: HEY NOW! I brought the last box in from the car. That was the deal! Why you tryin’ to play me like that, bro? :(

Jonas: good to know that you see yourself as the loser of the group, Mags.

Mahdi: oh snap!

Magnus: I am outraged! Outraged, I tell you!

Isak: hahahahah

 

*

 

Isak had lived at the house for exactly two weeks when he first met Even. He had gotten a pretty good routine in place before that. Isak and Mikael went to the same uni, and sometimes their schedules would line up so they would drink coffee together in the kitchen then take the tram to class. Anders worked a nine to five job, so he would be home for dinner if he did not have plans with his girlfriend or was too tired to take the bus to her place. But for the most part Isak found himself alone in the big house, ordering takeout and eating it in the living room, watching whatever caught his eye on Netflix. 

So when he came home earlier today, he did what he would always do when he was home alone. He threw his bag pack and jacket on his bed, kicking his socks off in the corner of the room and softly padding into the kitchen for a snack. Today he had decided to re-watch Stranger Things, but he needed to eat first. He was in the middle of making himself a rather sorry looking sandwich – he had not gone grocery shopping this week yet and now it was biting him in the ass – when the door to the basement flew open and a girl came out in a fury. 

Isak looked up at the sound of the basement door hitting the wall, his eyes wide and the knife in his hand raised in the air in front of him. The girl looked at him like he was crazy. Isak could feel his cheeks getting warm so he hurriedly laid the knife down on the counter turning towards the girl.

“Hi,” Isak offered timidly.

The girl’s eyes narrowed into slits, shaking her short blond hair out of her eyes. She looked him up and down before huffing and speed walking towards the hall. Isak heard her taking her shoes and jacket on before she fled the house, banging the door closed behind her. 

Isak stood rooted to the same spot, his face scrunching in confusion, but before he had time to even take his next breath the door to the basement once again flew open but this time a guy walked out.

The guy had the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, but Isak could still see wisps of blond hair peeking out, laying flatly on his forehead. He was tall and pale, dark circles under his eyes, but even that did not diminish the cold blue stare that was directed his way.

Isak cleared his throat. 

“Hi,” he tried again looking at who, he gathered, was the ever-elusive third roommate. Even walked to the fridge, keeping his eyes glued to his feet. He took two cans of coke from his shelve and a bag of chips from the counter before making his way down to the basement again, shutting the door behind him.

Isak huffed out a breath. 

“Well, that’s rude,” he mumbled to himself, going back to his sandwich and picking the knife up from the counter. He grabbed a coke from his own shelve in the fridge and made his way to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. 

 

*

 

Isak did not see Even for another week, and when he did, it was only briefly and Even always avoided making eye contact with him. Isak did not know what Even’s problem was, but he was determined to ignore it and therefore Even altogether. He liked living in the house, and he liked Mikael and Anders, and Even would not be the reason Isak could not be comfortable in his own home. So Isak’s plan was to ignore the problem till it went away. Unfortunately for him, the problem did not want to go away. And apparently, the problem’s on again, off again girlfriend also decided to add to Isak’s steadily growing irritation.   
He had been sitting in his room for an hour and a half, when the voices in the kitchen finally stopped shouting and the front door was opened and then slammed shut again. 

Isak’s stomach growled. 

He could hear nothing but silence from the other room, but he still waited ten, fifteen minutes before venturing into the kitchen for a snack. He had had a long day at uni and had just thrown his stuff on the bed when Even and Sonja had decided that the best place for an argument was in their kitchen, so Isak was forced to become a prisoner in his own bedroom. A very starving prisoner.

However, when he came into the kitchen Even was still standing by the counter his back to Isak. Isak was still deciding if he should fled to his room before Even noticed him, when the boy in question looked over his shoulder making eye contact with Isak for the first time in weeks. As quickly as it had started, just as quickly it ended when Even looked down at whatever he was doing by the counter. 

Isak rolled his eyes, but was determined to get his food, Even be damned. So he went to the fridge intent on ignoring the other boy as long as it took to make his sandwich and go back to his room. 

His plans were derailed, when he saw that he yet again had not gone grocery shopping. 

“Shit,” Isak said under his breath. His stomach chose that moment to growl at Isak in anger. He laid his head against the open fridge door, banging his forehead against it gently in frustration. And apparently ignoring Even had worked, because he had forgotten that the other boy stood not two feet from him and it was only when a plate was pushed his way that Isak looked up. 

Even locked his blue eyes on him then on the plate he had pushed Isak’s way. Confused, Isak looked down to see half a sandwich being offered to him, long pale fingers gently pushing the food in front of Isak. Before Isak could do or say anything, Even had taken his half of the sandwich and fled the room, closing the door behind him, this time gently. 

Isak was left flabbergasted in the kitchen. 

What the hell was going on? Isak thought to himself, shaking his head at the weirdness that was his third roommate. But he still took the offered sandwich back to his room. ‘Cause who says no to free food, right?

 

*

 

Group chat: The Boyz

Jonas: how’s it going with the third roommate? Talked to him yet?

Isak: I have no idea, man. He’s still avoiding me.. kinda

Jonas: kinda??

Isak: well, he hasn’t spoken to me at all but.. he gave me half his sandwich a couple of days ago?

Mahdi: ??

Jonas: what?

Mahdi: that’s weird, man

Isak: I know. 

Magnus: maybe he like can’t speak or something, so he’s trying to communicate with you through food!

Jonas: I will repeat myself, what?

Mahdi: Mags, bro…

Isak: yeah, I don’t think that’s the case, Mags.

Magnus: … then I’m fresh out of ideas, my man

Mahdi: are you going to try to speak to him or?

Isak: I don’t think so? Or I don’t know. This is just too weird

Magnus: totes weird, bro

 

*

 

In the following weeks, things stayed pretty much the same. Isak would wake up, have his coffee with Mikael, attend his classes and come home tired and grumpy. He would nap in the afternoon, study and sometimes play videogames with Mikael and Anders, if the latter was home. However, now when he would forget to go grocery shopping, which happened too often for Isak’s liking, he would still find food on his shelve in the fridge. At first, Isak thought that one of the other guys had misplaced their food and he would leave it on the shelve till it went bad and he had to throw it out. But after the third time, he found a small piece of paper with his name scribbled on it in looping letters. The food ranged from cheese sandwiches to homemade pasta salad, once even what looked like a homemade vegetable pie. 

Isak had never been more confused in his life.

At first, he thought that maybe Mikael had taken pity on him after seeing him hungry and grumpy one too many times in the morning. However, when he had asked Mikael about it on their way to class one morning, Mikael had laughed and said it was not him. 

“So somebody’s just been leaving you free food once or twice a week for two weeks now?” Mikael chuckled.

Isak nodded his head in confirmation.

“And you don’t know who or why?” 

“Nope,” Isak said and sniffed in the cold morning air. He shoved his hands in his pockets trying to keep them warm. Today was not the day to forget your gloves at home.

Mikael pursed his lips to try to hide the smile threating to take over his face. “You do know that Even works at a restaurant, right?” 

Isak stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, his mouth opening in confusion then closing, then, “But why?”

Mikael shrugged his shoulders and kept on walking, Isak hurriedly following to keep up.

“I think only Even can answer that.”

 

*

 

Getting Even to stay in the same room as him for more than a few minutes, let alone getting him to talk to Isak, was akin to pulling teeth. Every time Isak would walk into the kitchen or living room and Even would be there, he would take one look at Isak and hightail it to his bedroom. One time Isak had walked in to see Mikael and Even playing FIFA on the living room couch, but when Isak had taken a seat in the armchair, Even had mumbled something to Mikael about work and practically speed walked out of the living room. Mikael had taken one look at Isak’s shocked face and laughed his ass off, but he would not say anything on the matter then, “Just try to talk to him.”

 

*

 

Waking up in the middle of the night because he could not sleep was not surprising to Isak. Before, he would toss and turn and try to will himself to sleep, but having dealt with it for more years than he could count had taught Isak that the best way to deal with it was to do something. So he sluggishly got out of bed and decided that he would first go to the bathroom and then maybe warm himself some milk before trying to sleep. 

The thought had not even fully finished forming in his head, when he bumped into another body in front of the door to the bathroom. He looked up to see a sleep rumpled Even standing in the doorway, sleepy eyes widening in recognition, his right hand scratching the back of his neck. 

Isak took a step back, trying to keep his eyes off of Even’s bare chest and black boxers. However, looking down at his feet only made him more aware of his own state of undress. He really needed to remember to dress himself before going out of his room.

“Hi,” Isak coughed finally dragging his eyes from his feet to Even’s blue eyes. 

“Hi,” Even whispered back, his eyes flickering from Isak’s to the door and back again. 

“Can’t sleep?” Isak asked softly, noticing Even’s tired eyes and the slight dark coloring underneath them.

Even shook his head.

“Me either,” Isak offered.

They stood in awkward silence for what felt like an eternity to Isak, his head spinning trying to come up with something to say, to make Even stay and talk to him. 

“I’m going to warm some milk after I use the bathroom. You want some?” 

Even sucked in a breath, his chest expanding. He scratched the back of his neck before finally letting his arm drop by his side. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Isak repeated, a small smile curving the edges of his lips. “I’m just gonna,” he pointed to the bathroom behind Even. “And then I’ll meet you in the kitchen?”

Even nodded, taking a step to the left to walk past Isak. Even’s arm brushed against his as he walked past him, a shiver running down Isak’s spine. He really needed to put on some clothes, Isak thought. Who he was in this scenario, Isak did not even know. 

Walking into the kitchen, now with a shirt and sweatpants on, Isak saw that Even had had the same idea as him as he was now also wearing a shirt and pants. Even had already begun the process of warming the milk in a pan, adding what looked like different spices to the slowly warming liquid.

“What’s that?” Isak softly inquired taking quick steps to stand besides Even and looking down at the pan.

“Cinnamon and honey,” Even said just as softly. “My mom used to make it for me, when I couldn’t sleep.”

“That sounds nice,” Isak smiled. He opened the cabinet to the left of him and grabbed two mugs from the shelve. 

They worked together seamlessly. Even poured the milk in the mugs, while Isak grabbed the leftover cookies he had found in his bag yesterday morning. He put the cookies on a plate and took his mug from Even to bring it to the couch. Even followed him. They both settled on the couch, Isak handing Even a blanket, taking the last one for himself. Isak placed the plate of cookies in between them on the couch, raising one eyebrow at Even in question. 

Not even the dim light in the room could mask the slowly reddening of Even’s cheeks.

“What?” Even coughed bringing his mug to his lips to take a sip of his drink, hiding half his face in the process. 

Isak hid his own smile behind his drink. “Those are your cookies, right? The ones I found in my bag yesterday.”

Even narrowed his eyes slightly, taking one more sip from his mug, but he didn’t say anything. 

Isak grinned. “Come on. You’re the one who’s been leaving food for me, right? I already asked Mikael and it wasn’t him, and I can’t really see Anders doing it.   
So it was you, right?”

Even pursed his lips for a while looking into Isak’s eyes, but he finally nodded in agreement. Isak’s grin turned into a soft but confused smile. 

“But why?” 

Even shrugged his shoulders, his eyes flickering between Isak’s and his hands still holding the now lukewarm milk.

“To say sorry, I guess.”

Isak furrowed his eyebrows, a questioning look overtaking his face. “For what?” He questioned. 

“For how we met? For Sonja and..” Here Even took a deep breath, blowing the air our slowly between pouting lips. He cleared his throat, “…yeah.”

Isak drank the last of his milk, placing the mug back on the table and taking a cookie from the plate between them. “Okay, but why food? Why not just say you’re sorry… and yeah, be done with it.”

Finally, a small smile broke out on Even’s face, both his eyebrows rising into his hairline. “Because you never have any food? Seriously, how do you never have food! It’s not that hard to go grocery shopping, you know.”

Isak’s mock-outraged face made Even laugh even harder, his head tipping backwards stretching his long and pale neck for the world to see. Or just for Isak to see in this case, whose eyes travelled from Even’s neck to his sharp jawline and then finally his eyes, which had lost the amused glint and were now intently looking back at him. 

Isak gulped and then coughed, scratching the side of his nose and breaking the intense stare with Even.

He fiddled with the half-eaten cookie in his hands, composing himself before he looked back at him.

“Thank you,” Isak whispered, a smile peeking at the corners of his lips. “… you know, for not letting me starve to death and all that.”

Even chuckled and nodded his head. “You’re welcome.”

 

*

 

In the weeks following his first real interaction with Even, nothing and everything changed at the same time. Isak would still wake up, have his coffee in the early mornings, attend his classes and come home tired and grumpy. He would nap in the afternoon, study and sometimes play videogames. 

However, now Even would join him. 

Some morning Isak would wake up to eggs being cooked, the smell of freshly brewed coffee enticing him to sleepily make his way into the kitchen, where Even stood with his back to the kitchen door, a tight white shirt stretching invitingly across his back. And when Isak would come home from school, a homemade sandwich would be waiting, a small note attached to it with his name written on top. Now when Isak would join Mikael and Even to a game of FIFA in the living room, Even would not leave. He would scoot over on the couch, making room for Isak, a controller already waiting for him. Mikael would look at them and grin, but he never said anything. So Isak never said anything. 

 

*

 

Group chat: The Boyz

Isak: help, guys. I need help!

Mahdi: what’s up, bro?

Jonas: here for you man. What do you need?

Isak: what the fuck do I do about Even???

Mahdi: what do you mean?

Isak: like, do you guys thinks he likes me? 

Magnus: <3 EVAK <3

Isak: … what?

Jonas: Mags, stop. Isak, how should we know if he likes you, dude. We’ve never met him

Isak: I know. I know.. but like, I think he likes me but I’m not sure

Magnus: ask him!

Mahdi: wow Mags, brilliant advice.

Magnus: rude

Isak: I CAN’T JUST ASK HIM!!

Jonas: I’m with Mags on this one. Talk to him.

Magnus: YAS!

Isak: but what if I make it awkward?! We still have to live together. What if he’s just nice and I ruin everything?! What if he ends up ignoring me again?!

Magnus: I can’t believe I, out of all people, have to tell you this, but, dude, like chill. You can’t guess how Even will react or how he feels for that sake. Only 

Even knows how he feels. So talk to him. From what you’ve told us he sounds like a chill dude. He won’t, like, hate you for asking

Isak: …

Mahdi: …

Jonas: ... you’re kinda cool, Mags, you know

Magnus: Oh, you’re only figuring this out now? #blessed 

 

*

 

After his conversation with the boys, Isak did in fact not talk to Even. Every time the thought would pop up in his brain, or an opportunity would present itself to talk quietly just the two of them, Isak would chicken out as the mere thought of talking to Even about, like, feelings, but particularly feelings and them in the same sentence freaked Isak the fuck out. So he just did not. He would go about his day as usual. Wake up, go to class, come home to a homemade meal, talk and hang out with Even in the living room. 

Rinse and repeat. 

But the thought would fester. Growing bigger and bigger by the day, by the hour, by the minute. And Isak would swallow it down with every glance thrown his way, every touch that made shivers run down his spine, every kind gesture that was slowly trying to break down all his defenses. 

Oh, how the tables had turned. Before, his biggest problem was getting Even to talk to him, to be in the same room as him even. Now, Even was everywhere. Talking to him, listening to him, taking care of him. 

Caring about him? A novel fucking situation. And Isak did not have a clue how to proceed. What to do.

Isak thumped his head against the bathroom cabinet. He needed to get his shit together. The boys were coming over for a pre-game. Even would be here, and so would Mikael and Anders and some of their friend, who Isak did not know. And it was going to be alright. It was. So Isak fixed his hair, smoothed down his black t-shirt and took a deep breath. He could do this. 

He closed the bathroom door behind him and made his way to the living room, where Even stood with Jonas and Mahdi. 

Fuck. He so couldn’t do this. 

But it was already too late as Mahdi was waving him over from his place besides Even, a huge grin covering his whole face.

“Isak, my man!” 

Isak fist bumped Mahdi and Jonas, shooting Even a quick, shy smile before turning his attention to the two boys. 

“Hi,” Isak cleared his throat. “You guys are early?”

“Yeah, we were bored and ready, so...” Jonas shrugged his shoulders as if to say, what can you do.

“But where’s Magnus?” Isak asked looking around the room, but not immediately seeing his blond friend anywhere. 

“In the kitchen,” Even replied, an amused glint in his bright blue eyes. “Mikael was mixing drinks and apparently doing it wrong, so Magnus stayed to help him.” 

Jonas and Mahdi both laughed at that, Even’s own smile growing bigger by the second. Isak rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Somebody really needed to teach that boy manners. 

Isak gave Jonas and Mahdi a look.

“So who’s on Magnus duty tonight?”

 

*

 

And that was how Isak basically spent his evening. Hanging with the boys, sometimes with Even, but mostly without, and trying to prevent Magnus from embarrassing himself. But considering everything, it went well. Better than Isak expected frankly. The two friend groups jelled well, and besides one incident where Magnus threw the word Evak around, which Jonas thankfully shut down pretty fast, nothing out of the ordinary happened. 

Nothing out of the ordinary happened until a hand landed on Isak’s shoulder, while he was in the kitchen emptying the last of the beer from the cans, scaring him and making him drop the can he was holding into the sink. 

“Shit, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Even said besides him, taking the fallen can from the sink and putting it by the others. “Halla.” Even said leaning against the sink and looking at Isak.

“Halla,” Isak replied, suddenly feeling shy in the face of the glory that was Even in his burgundy t-shirt and gray hoodie, his sole focus on Isak. Isak felt his toes tingling.

“So tonight was fun,” Even said after a moment’s pause.

“Mmhm.”

“Your friends were nice,”

“Yeah.”

“I think your friend, Magnus, has a crush on me.”

At this Isak’s smile broadened, a small chuckle escaping his lips. 

“Yeah, I think you’re right.”

“So..”

“So..” They both said the same time. Even grinned.

“Are you tired?”

Isak’s eyebrows furrowed. “Not really, no. Why?”

Even shrugged his shoulder. “You wanna hang out?”

“Out there?” Isak asked looking towards the living room, where he knew Mikael, Anders and his girlfriend were still sitting and chatting. 

“Nah, in my room. Come on.” Even raised his eyebrows before he turned on his heel and made his way down the stairs to his room. 

And that was how Isak found himself in Even’s room, sitting on Even’s couch and drinking Even’s beer for the first time since he moved into the house.   
Even’s room was the biggest with enough space to both fit a couch and a decent sized bed into it. But the biggest surprise was the huge industrial desk located by the only window in the room, which was filled with various papers and pencils of all shapes, colors and sizes. But maybe that was not such a surprise as nearly every wall in Even’s room was filled with drawings and photos, except the one which Even’s bed stood against.

Isak was still looking around in wonder, when Even sat down beside him, his own bottle of beer in hand.

“These are amazing, Even. Are they all yours?” Isak asked and for the first time, he saw Even’s cheeks color, a rosy hue covering them. 

Even nodded his head, “Yeah, the photos, too.”

“They’re amazing.” Isak repeated, looking into Even’s eyes, showing him how sincere he was.

“Thanks.” It came out as a whisper, but Even did not break eye contact. Instead, Even’s eyes flickered between Isak’s own and his mouth, and the tension that filled the space between their bodies grew in intensity. Isak had a hard time breathing. His lips opened a fraction, but no sound came out, so he licked his lower lip and Even’s eyes tracked the movement. 

Later on, when asked, Isak would not know who kissed whom first. He just knew that from one tension filled moment to the next, Even’s plush lips were on his and Isak’s hands had found their home in Even’s glorious hair. And from then on, every thought stopped existing as Isak gave way to just feeling. Feeling Even’s lips sliding against his own, Even’s tongue insides his mouth, licking and demanding Isak’s undivided attention, Even’s long fingers digging into his waist, dragging him closer, Even’s teeth biting his lower lip. 

At once it was all too much and not enough. Which is why it was not a surprise, when Isak found himself in Even’s lap or when seconds, minutes, hours later Even hoisted them both up and threw Isak on the bed, Even’s long body quickly following and covering Isak’s. What was a surprise was when Even stopped. One moment Isak was being kissed by Even like he was the air Even needed to live, and in the next moment Even’s hands stilled Isak’s fingers, which had made a path down Even’s body and were currently trying to unzip pants. 

“Wait, wait,” Even panted against Isak’s mouth, his hot breath fanning against Isak’s lips and chin. 

“No, no waiting. I’ve waited long enough.” Isak’s hand tightened against the back of Even’s head, bringing his lips back on his, Isak’s tongue licking into Even’s mouth, slick and hot. 

Even groaned. “I know. I know, but we need to talk. I need to tell you something.”

Isak stopped, his mouth sliding away from Even’s, his hand loosening its hold on his hair. Even sat up, taking a seat besides Isak on the bed, his long legs crisscrossed in front of him, while Isak sat leaning against the headboard. Even was avoiding eye contact by looking down at his long, pale fingers, flexing them a couple of times before he took a deep breath. 

“I’m bipolar,” Even made eye contact with Isak. “And I like you. Like really like you. I’m basically crazy about you. And I want this to work out. I want to be with you, Isak. But before that, you need to know this. I’m bipolar, it’s a part of me and it will always be a part of me. Good or bad, it’s there. It’s there and it’s not going away. So that’s why I stopped. I want this,” Even pointed to the both of them, indicating the possibility of a them that still hung in the air. “But not before you know about this,” Even pointed at his head. “About me.” His hands fell to his lap once again, his fingers twisting together, but his eyes were steady and looking into Isak’s with such honesty that Isak’s breath stuttered in his chest. 

When Even’s eyes began to show a hint of nerves, Isak remembered that Even was not a mind reader and that he needed to use his words so he did not fuck up everything before they had even started. 

“I like you, too,” Isak said, because it was true. “I really, really like you, and I’m glad that you’ve told me. That you’ve shared such a private part of you with me, that you trust me with this part of you.” Isak scooted closer to Even on the bed, taking Even’s hands in his and entwining their fingers. 

“And this doesn’t change anything for me,” Isak shook his head once to further his point, his eyes locked intensely on Even’s. “If that’s what you’re thinking. I want to be with you, too. Because of who you are. Exactly, because of who you are, Even.”

Even seemed to understand what Isak was saying, even if Isak himself was having trouble finding the right words, bridging the gap between their faces and gently, oh so gently, sliding his nose against Isak’s, Even’s breath fanning against Isak’s lips making Isak’s eyelids droop, his mouth going slack. Then they were kissing again. Mouths sliding together, breaths mingling, fingers tightening against fingers. But this time it was not hurried, they did not rush. They took their time learning each other, feeling each other, each glide of skin against skin saying, I want you and I need you and I know, I know, me too. 

When they broke apart, it was to catch their breaths, but they did not move away from each other, and now lying down on Even’s bed again, it was easier for Isak to tuck his face against Even’s neck, to tug Even closer against him, to leave a small, loving kiss on his jaw.

Even hummed at the gesture, and Isak smiled. And after a moment or two, Isak felt brave enough to ask the question that had been on his mind for a long time now, but which he had been too nervous to ask before.

“Even?” Isak hesitated, his fingers drawing patterns on Even’s still hoodie clad chest. 

“Mm?”

“When I first moved in, why did you avoid me?”

Isak could feel Even tense beneath him, but then he released a loud breath and his whole body just seemed to sag back into the bed. Isak leaned up a bit on his elbow so he could better see Even’s face, which for the second time since Isak had known him was slightly pink from embarrassment. Isak could not help himself, so he kissed Even’s warm cheek, one, two, three times before leaning back again and waiting for Even to answer. 

“I liked you,” Even whispered. “And I wasn’t in a good place at the time you moved in and Sonja was not taking no for an answer and.. yeah. I knew I couldn’t make a good impression so I just didn’t try, I guess. I avoided you, ‘cause it was easier. I’m sorry.” 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Isak reassured, caressing Even’s cheek. “But,” Isak furrowed his eyebrows in thought. “The first time you met me was when Sonja stormed out of the house that first time you fought, right?. I mean.. I still don’t understand?”

Even looked down at Isak, a small, private smile gracing the corners of his mouth. 

“That wasn’t the first time I saw you, Isak. I saw you the day you came to see the house.” Isak’s jaw went slack, and Even laughed. “I was coming home from work, and you came out the door with this small smile on your face, and I was gone. Done for. I went inside when you were gone and demanded that Mikael tell me everything. As you can imagined, he just laughed in my face and went on his merry way.” 

Isak laughed. “Wow.”

Even nodded. “I know. Such good friends I have.” 

Isak gave Even a kiss on his cheek. “But that’s cute. You’re so cute.” He said caressing the same cheek, he had just kissed.

“Also true.” Even nodded in agreement, a cheeky smile on his lips. 

Isak could not help himself, so he kissed him again taking first Even’s lower lip between his then kissing him square on the mouth. Even’s hands began their quest down Isak’s body and soon enough Isak found himself in Even’s lap without his shirt on. And that was how Isak spent the rest of his night, warm and naked in Even’s bed, safe by Even’s side.

 

*

 

Group chat: The Boyz

Mahdi: this headache is trying to kill me and I need pizza. Who’s with me?

Jonas: count me in

Magnus: I am with ya, man!

Mahdi: Isak?

Isak: can’t. With Even.

Jonas: nice

Magnus: EVAK!!

Mahdi: congrats, my man

Magnus: I need to know everything! Tell me everything!

Isak…

Magnus: EVERYTHING!

Isak: thanks Mags ;)

Magnus: <3

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for the last two months, and it's finally done!  
> I hope you've enjoyed it, and thanks for reading <3


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